Tag: stores

Whilst a lot of us like to, or try to, shop on the High Street and support local business, it’s not always doable, or we can’t find what we’re looking for. So, online it is. This year I managed about half and half – mainly because I haven’t had time to travel to one of the nearby cities for a gift shopping day (some things I wanted to get just can’t be found on the high street of a market town). Any gifts I share will be from last year (I don’t want any of my friends/family finding out what they’re getting before Christmas!), but I stand by the stores this year, and have used all of them again!

If you’ve visited my blog before, you know what a fan of Etsy I am. It’s a fantastic way of supporting small businesses, and I’m yet to be any less than very pleased with products/gifts I’ve bought from there. I got these wine glasses (images taken from site) for Mum and Dad last year, and I still love them…the picture doesn’t show it very well, but they’re glittery! I’m almost tempted to invest in some for Ed and I…

If you want any kind if personalised gift, this is a great place to start browsing – cards, mugs, glasswear, calendars – I’ve used this site several times, and got myself a notebook (of which there are HUNDREDS of different designs, perfect if you’re buying for a stationery lover!). Sometimes you can get some good discount codes too – and even 10% off can help the pinch of Christmas!

There’s some lovely household decor and gifts on this website, which I discovered last year I was looking for some Firefly jars. I bought a couple for friends and a couple for us, and would happily purchase from there again! It’s now a go-to site for gift browsing!

For photo gifts, this is where I head. They offer calendars, keyrings, canvases, mugs, cushions – not all of those ideas may appeal to you, but they do photo books and regular prints of your photos too. Again, you can often find a discount code, although prices aren’t too bad anyway!

I came across this site a few months ago whilst searching for a birthday gift for one of my girls, and it’s such a cute little site! I think it depends on the kind of thing you’re after, not all of their content is my cup of tea…but some of their monochrome range is right up my street! I bought a cushion for my girlie, then returned to buy mugs for both my parent’s birthdays (and then myself too, naturally) 💁🏻‍♀️

I’m pretty sure that this was the first website I used for online shopping, and although I feel that some of the gifts are a bit pricey, there’s some lovely things on there, and some ideas you wouldn’t have even thought of before (hence the name, I guess)!

Have I missed any of your favourite sites? I’m always open to new places and ideas, so please feel free to share below!

Now obviously, this is completely subjective, and this is done purely from the experiences we’ve had doing up the house. It’s not gospel, and I’m sure there are other great stores out there that we didn’t use, but these are our faves, and I’ll explain why 😊

I MEAN, WHO DOESN’T LOVE IKEA, of COURSE it’s at the top of the list! One of the most exciting things about moving is the prospect of going to The Narnia of household furnishings! You know as soon as you step through those doors, however well thought out your shopping list was, you’ll be leaving with more than you planned for 🙃 Virtually all of our furniture is new, and virtually all of it came from Ikea. I didn’t realise until I just thought about it then…it was a busy and confusing time, but I suppose we did end up going twice in 2 weeks AND get an order delivered to our home address too… It’s safe to say that we are now absolute masters in IKEA DIY (you know that when you don’t even really need to look at the instructions because you can pretty much guess which screws go where). I loved building our furniture because it was fun, the experience of Ikea is ALWAYS enjoyable, and #adulting!

I’ve loved Dunelm ever since I first moved down to London. Mama P took me to the big store at Clifton Moor in York before I moved, and I fell in love – it’s a fab store for home furnishings and small bits of furniture. Ed and I ended up getting curtains, light shades, bed linen, bits of cookware and more! The prices aren’t too bad either – there’s definitely a few bed sets that are way more than one should be spending on linen, but equally they’ve got some items clearly aimed at students – so it’s perfect for everyone!

Advertising won, I wouldn’t have known about Wayfair were it not for Lorraine Kelly squating away in the ITV advert breaks. And, the advert’s right – whatever homeware you’re looking for, there’s something for you and your budget – and a lot of it too, they’ve got a great range of products! I’m in love with our stacking tables from Wayfair – I hadn’t seen any Rose Gold tables anywhere else, and I love the style! We also got a bean bag and clock from here, and they won’t be the last purchases, I can tell you that for sure! My one word of warning though, things seem to go fast, so if you have a floor light saved in your favourites, it may not be in stock a week later. I see it as a sign (yes, this happened to me), but it’s good to be aware!

I never thought about going to Next for homeware until a google search for marble look placemats took me there…but they’ve got some lovely things! Kitchenware, bedroom things, decor…and not too extortionately priced either! (To date), we’ve got the placemats, tealight holders, candles and a trinket dish from there, all of which are perfect for our home.

Similar to Dunelm I suppose, a little cheaper though (and they do craft things there too, for any keen crafters out there)! We mainly used it for kitting out the bathrooms, though I’ve shopped there before for wall art and wedding decorations too (YES, that’s right, but I’ll be sharing these details AFTER the wedding) 😊

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned on more than occasion how much I love Etsy, so I’m sorry to sound like a broken record, but I really do! I came across it a couple of years ago when looking for gifts, and I’ve been a regular visitor to the website ever since – for gifts, and now for home decor too. We got our personalised house sign from there, as well as a canvas painting for the bedroom and marble mason jars for my desk. I love being able to support small businesses, and there’s some gorgeous, quality stuff on there. Go and check it out if you haven’t already, especially with Christmas on the way!

We’re still not done kitting out the house yet, so if you have any other stores that you think we need to visit, let me know in the comments below!

And NEXT TIME, I’ll be sharing some of my favourite new items in our little home, so if you’re curious about seeing what we actually got from these shops, stay tuned!

Hello my loves, welcome to 'life with Lynette'! Frizzy, halloumi loving dance teacher, living in North Yorkshire. I've recently given my little corner of the internet a fresh lick of paint, so enjoy my ramblings on work, lifestyle, adulting...and maybe a bit of wedding prep too! Grab a cuppa and get comfy...